Jill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1957 and grew up on a farm near Perth in the Carse of Gowrie. She spent 5 years at the Edinburgh College of Art.

Jill then proceeded to Italy to learn to carve marble and work in bronze beside the artisans in the workshops and studios of Pietrasanta near Carrara. As a figurative sculptor, who works mainly in bronze, Jill carries many major public commissions. She is also represented in galleries in many countries